Correctable pre-payment for database services

ABSTRACT

A method, system and software for managing data services provided by a data services providing entity to a data services customer. The method involves: (i) decrementing relative value units (RVUs) from a data services customer&#39;s pre-paid account corresponding to the erroneous use of the data services made by the data services customer; (ii) receiving, from the data services customer, a request for a return of the RVUs decremented at the decrementing step; and (iii) returning the RVUs on condition that the request has been determined to be appropriate. At least the returning step is performed automatically under the control of software provided by the data services providing entity and substantially without human intervention by any human representatives of the data services providing entity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of computerizeddatabase services (such as business database archiving and businessdatabase archive management), and more particularly to pre-paidcomputerized database services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Computerized database services, such as business database archiving andbusiness database archive management are known. For example, acommercially available system that includes such computerized databaseservices is currently sold by IBM Corporation under the following name:IBM InfoSphere Optim Enterprise Edition V9.1 and Workgroup Edition V9.1offer simplified packaging with capacity-based pricing. This package ofsoftware and/or services has been described as follows: “InfoSphere®Optim™ Enterprise Edition V9.1 and Workgroup Edition V9.1 offersimplified packaging with capacity-based pricing for Optim's Archive,Test Data Management, and Data Privacy capabilities.” At least somedatabase services systems can manage data from requirements toretirement to promote business driven governance. Preferably, databaseservices: (i) reduce risk and costs, (ii) speed solution delivery, (iii)boost performance and (iv) address compliance requirements fordatabases, warehouses and big data environments. Data lifecyclemanagement is the process of managing business information throughoutits lifecycle, from requirements through retirement. Data lifecyclemanagement spans different application systems, databases and storagemedia and can be implemented as part of an overall informationintegration and governance strategy. By managing data properly over itslifetime, using database services, organizations can be better equippedsupport business goals with less risk.

It is further known that such computerized database services may requirepre-payment for the services from the customer (generally a business,often a large business) to the database service provider. It is furtherknown that such pre-payment can be based upon pre-paid “tokens” (alsoherein sometimes called RVUs) where each token represent a unit ofpre-payment for some type of service or aspect of the database service.For example, it is known that a token may represent a pre-paid volume ofdata flow, with the data flow being measured at the time the data flowsfrom the computer system of the business customer to the computer systemof the database services provider. Herein, this sort of pre-payment planwill be called a pre-payment plan based upon “volumetric data flow.” Itis further known that a pre-payment plan may be more specifically basedupon uncompressed volumetric data flow.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is a method formanaging data services provided by a data services providing entity to adata services customer. The method includes the following steps (notnecessarily in the following order): (i) establishing an at leastsubstantially pre-paid account for data services to be provided by thedata services providing entity to the data services customer, with apre-payment being represented by relative value units (RVUs); (ii)decrementing at least one decremented RVU from the pre-paid accountresponsive to use made of the database services; (iii) receiving arequest, from the data services customer, for a return of a currentvalue of the at least one decremented RVU; and (iv) returning thecurrent value of the at least one decremented RVU. At least thereceiving step and the returning step are performed automatically underthe control of software provided by the data services providing entityand substantially without human intervention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a computer systemaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a portion of the first embodimentcomputer system;

FIG. 2B is a schematic view of a portion of the first embodimentcomputer system;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a portion of the first embodimentcomputer system;

FIG. 3B is a schematic view of a portion of the first embodimentcomputer system;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 5A is a first screenshot generated by the first embodiment computersystem;

FIG. 5B is a second screenshot generated by the first embodimentcomputer system;

FIG. 6A is a third screenshot generated by a second embodiment computersystem;

FIG. 6B is a fourth screenshot generated by a second embodiment computersystem; and

FIG. 6C is a fifth screenshot generated by a second embodiment computersystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer-readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code/instructions embodiedthereon.

Any combination of computer-readable media may be utilized.Computer-readable media may be a computer-readable signal medium or acomputer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium maybe, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specificexamples (a non-exhaustive list) of a computer-readable storage mediumwould include the following: an electrical connection having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compactdisc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magneticstorage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In thecontext of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be anytangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium thatis not a computer-readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java (note: the term(s) “Java” may be subject to trademarkrights in various jurisdictions throughout the world and are used hereonly in reference to the products or services properly denominated bythe marks to the extent that such trademark rights may exist),Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on a user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (forexample, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmabledata processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce acomputer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe Figures. FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, taken collectively, are afunctional block diagram illustrating various portions of distributeddata processing system 100, including: data services provider entityadministration server sub-system 102; data services provider entitydatabase server sub-system 104; first client (or customer) sub-system108; second client (or customer) sub-system 110; client (or customer)administration sub-system 112; communications network 114; data servicesprovider entity administration computer 200; data services providerentity database server computer 250; communication units 202, 252;processor set 204, 254; input/output (I/O) interfaces 206, 256; memorydevices 208, 258; persistent storage devices 210, 260; display devices212, 262; external device sets 214, 264; random access memory (RAM)devices 230, 270; cache memory devices 232, 272; database servicemodules (or mods) 240, 280; pre-pay sub-mod 302; usage sub-mod 304;limit sub-mod 310; correction sub-mod 312; test data management bucket304 a; data growth bucket 304 b; application retirement bucket 304 c;data privacy (sometimes also referred to as data masking) bucket 304 d;caution sub-sub-mod 320; throttle sub-sub-mod 322; suspensionsub-sub-mod 324; fact determining sub-sub-mod 330; policy sub-sub-mod332; relative value unit return sub-sub-mod 334; database controlsub-mod 352; resource usage sub-mod 360; populate data flow sub-sub-mod370; delete sub-sub-mod 380; special charges sub-sub-mod 382; accessdata flow sub-sub-mod 372; storage used sub-sub-mod 374; and processingtime sub-sub-mod 376.

In the following paragraphs, various components of admin server computersub-system will be discussed. It will be understood by those of skill inthe art that much of this discussion will also apply to correspondingcomponents of db server sub-system 104; client data sub-systems 108,110; and/or client admin sub-system 112.

Server computer sub-system 102 may include as a primary component 200 alaptop computer, tablet computer, netbook computer, personal computer(PC), a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, or any programmable electronic device capable of communicatingwith the client sub-systems via network 114. As shown in FIG. 2A, dbservices module 240 is a collection of machine readable instructions anddata that is used to (at least partially) create, manage and control thedatabase services dealt with in the present invention.

Network 114 (see FIG. 1) can be, for example, a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combinationof the two, and can include wired, wireless, or fiber optic connections.In general, network 114 can be any combination of connections andprotocols that will support communications between server and clientsub-systems.

It should be appreciated that FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, takentogether, provide only an illustration of one implementation (that is,system 100) and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environment may be made, especially withrespect to current and anticipated future advances in cloud computing,distributed computing, smaller computing devices, network communicationsand the like.

Turning again to FIG. 2A, server computer sub-system 102 is shown as ablock diagram with many double arrows. These double arrows (no separatereference numerals) represent a communications fabric, which providescommunications between various components of sub-system 102 as shown inFIG. 2A. This communications fabric can be implemented with anyarchitecture designed for passing data and/or control informationbetween processors (such as microprocessors, communications and networkprocessors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any otherhardware components within a system. For example, the communicationsfabric can be implemented, at least in part, with one or more buses.

Memory 208 and persistent storage 210 are computer-readable storagemedia. In general, memory 208 can include any suitable volatile ornon-volatile computer-readable storage media. It is further noted that,now and/or in the near future: (i) external device(s) 214 may be able tosupply, some or all, memory for sub-system 102; and/or (ii) devicesexternal to sub-system 102 may be able to provide memory sub-system 102.

DB services module (or, simply, mod) 240 is stored in persistent storage210 for access and/or execution by one or more of the respectivecomputer processors 204, usually through one or more memories of memory208. Persistent storage 210 is at least more persistent than a signal intransit is, but the persistent storage may, of course, be substantiallyless persistent than permanent storage. Mod 240 may include both machinereadable and performable instructions and/or substantive data (that is,the type of data stored in a database). In this particular embodiment,persistent storage 210 includes a magnetic hard disk drive. To name somepossible variations, persistent storage 210 may include a solid statehard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, or anyother computer-readable storage media that is capable of storing programinstructions or digital information.

The media used by persistent storage 210 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 210.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage210.

Communication unit 202, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices external to sub-system102, such as client sub-systems 104, 106, 108, 110, 112. In theseexamples, communications unit 202 includes one or more network interfacecards. Communications unit 202 may provide communications through theuse of either or both physical and wireless communications links. Anysoftware modules discussed herein may be downloaded to a persistentstorage device (such as persistent storage device 210) through acommunications unit (such as communications unit 202).

I/O interface(s) 206 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected locally in data communication with servercomputer 250. For example, I/O interface 206 provides a connection toexternal device set 214. External device set 214 will typically includedevices such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some othersuitable input device. External device set 214 can also include portablecomputer-readable storage media such as, for example, thumb drives,portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and dataused to practice embodiments of the present invention, for example,commerce module 240, can be stored on such portable computer-readablestorage media. In these embodiments the relevant software may (or maynot) be loaded, in whole or in part, onto persistent storage device 210via I/O interface set 206. I/O interface set 206 also connects in datacommunication with display device 212.

Display device 212 provides a mechanism to display data to a user andmay be, for example, a computer monitor or a smart phone display screen.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

Turning briefly to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the various modules, sub-modulesand/or sub-sub-modules of FIGS. 3A and 3B will be woven into thediscussion below of the flow chart of FIG. 4.

Turning now to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting process 400 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example,a database services portfolio adopts a pay-as-you-go model that usesrelative value units (RVUs) as a mechanism (not necessarily theexclusive mechanism) by which customers pay for database services. Ascheme for assessing RVUs from customer RVU account(s) is used toeffectively measure and monitor the customers consumption of varioustypes of database-service-related resources, and to thereby ensureappropriate pre-payment has been made for the usage of thosedatabase-services-related resources. With the method and system of thepresent invention: (i) consumption can be tracked through reports andinternal auditing (these may be implemented as proprietary features ofthe database services system); and (ii) capacity usage can be trackedand reported upon. The various steps of process 400 a will now bediscussed in turn.

Processing begins at step S401, where a customer makes a pre-payment fordatabase services with respect to one, or more, “RVU buckets.” Morespecifically, pre-pay sub-mod 302 of db services mod 240 of admin servercomputer sub-system 102 (see FIGS. 2A and 3A) controls the receipt ofthis pre-payment from the services customer. This payment may be madewith money, although other sorts of payment (for example, servicesbarter) may be possible. This payment may be made, for example, throughthe internet. This payment may be handled automatically by software, orit may be accepted by a human agent of the services provider withassistance from pre-pay sub-mod 302.

Processing proceeds to step S402, wherein pre-pay sub-mod 302 creditsthe customers account with RVUs corresponding to the pre-payment. Insome embodiments, there is only one type of RVU which is applied againstall charged-for types of resource usage, but other embodiments may havemultiple types of RVUs for different: (i) solutions (for example, testdata management, data growth, application retirement, data privacy,etc.); (ii) types of usable resources; (iii) countries/regions/timezones/etc.; (iv) associated priorities or service levels agreementlevels; (v) RVU expiration dates (if any); (vi) cost centers in theservices customer's business; (vii) for databases with differentsources, faster/slower; and/or (viii) other RVU and/or customer and/ordata characteristics that may be varied. For a given customer account,each different type of RVU will have its own “bucket” (or sub-account).

Once the pre-pay sub-mod adds the RVUs to the various buckets of thecustomer's account, usage sub-mod 304 (see FIG. 3A) will use thepurchased RVUs in the various buckets as a starting point for trackingpre-paid usage of database-service-related resources. As best shown atreference numerals 304 a to 304 d in FIG. 3A, in this example, there arefour different types of RVUs respectively corresponding to fourdifferent solutions: (i) test data management (TDM), (ii) data growth(DG), (iii) application retirement (AR), and (iv) data privacy (DP).

In this embodiment, through the use of the RVU, the customer purchases acertain amount of capacity pertinent to the database services solutionbeing used. In this embodiment, the RVU is applied to the product on aper repository basis, but, in other embodiments, RVUs may be designed tobe transferrable across multiple repositories. To briefly explain theconcept of a repository, in the Optim product and/or service, therepositories are referred to as “Optim Directories.” In this document,the terms “repository” and “directory” will be used interchangeably, butit should be kept in mind that, when specifically dealing with the Optimproduct and/or service, the correct name is “Optim Directory.” As willbe explained below, a bucket will be decremented for each use of aresource (for example, each database-service-related execution) that thesystem designer has chosen to measure and to charge for. As will beexplained below, internal records are cut, and stored in the databasesservices system repository, to track usage and to update remainingcapacity on a substantially continuous basis. As will be explainedbelow, once purchased capacity gets close to being exhausted, and/or iscompletely exhausted, then the system will respond to these conditionsin a way chosen by the system designer.

In this example, each of the four database services solutions will haveits own respective consumption tracking and reporting. In other words,in this example, four different RVU types and associated buckets arerespectively dedicated to the following four solutions: test datamanagement (TDM), data growth (DG), application retirement (AR), anddata privacy (DP). As shown in FIG. 3A, usage sub-mod 304 includes: TDMRVU bucket 304 a, DG RVU bucket 304 b, AR RVU bucket 304 c, and DP RVUbucket 304 d. In other embodiments, all of these different solutionsmight be assigned a common RVU bucket. In still other embodiments, andas stated above, the RVU types may be defined differently, such asdistinct RVU buckets and types for different types of resource usage,for different customer cost centers, etc.

The four solutions (TDM, DG, AR, DP) will now be briefly discussed.

DG relates to the total of all valid archive files (uncompressed)generated for data growth purposes.

AR relates to the total of all valid archive files (uncompressed)generated for application retirement purposes.

TDM relates to a maximum amount of uncompressed raw data pulled from thedata sources (DDL excluded). The process will preferably includetracking the HWM (“high water mark”) per table so as to avoidduplicating charges until a previously established HWM for a given tableis exceeded. Detailed reporting will preferably track extract-styleusage, as well as table-style usage.

DP (sometimes also called Data Masking, or DM) relates to a maximumamount of data masked via calls to the database service entity'sassociated “privacy providers.” The process will preferably includetracking the HWM per table so as not to duplicate charges until apreviously established HWM for a given table is exceeded. Detailedreporting will preferably track the following: (i) insert usage; (ii)load usage; (iii) convert usage; and (iv) table usage.

Returning attention to FIG. 4, at step S403 the customer uses databaseservices provided by the database service system and method of thepresent invention supplied by the database services supplier entity. Forexample, the customer may operate client admin computer sub-system 112so that client data may be moved from client data sub-systems 108, 110through network 114 to a data archive stored at external db storagedevice 264 of db server computer sub-system 104 (see FIGS. 1 and 2B)under direct control of db control sub-mod 352 of db services mod 280(see FIG. 3B).

This use of the database services system will require the use of severaldifferent types of resources including: (i) a volume of uncompressedclient data will flow through the database service provider's machines;(ii) processing time of the database services hardware; and (iii) datastorage space (for example, space in device 264). In this example,resource usage sub-mod 260 of db service module 280 keeps track of theseusages as they are performed at db server computer sub-system 104. Morespecifically: (i) the volume of uncompressed data that flows from thedata source to the data destination is tracked by population data flowsub-sub-mod 370 of resource usage sub-mod 260 of db services mod 280;(ii) the processing time associated with this usage is tracked byprocessing time sub-sub-mod 376 of resource usage sub-mod 260 of dbservices mod 280; and (iii) the storage space required is tracked bystorage used sub-sub-mod 374 of resource usage sub-mod 260 of dbservices mod 280. While not relevant to this archive population exampleoperation, other usage types that can be tracked in this embodimentinclude: (i) data flow during a data accessing operation by the customer(see sub-sub-mod 372 in FIG. 3B); (ii) data deletion (see sub-sub-mod380); and (iii) special charges (for example, expert assistance providedby the database service provider, see sub-sub-mod 382).

Returning attention to FIG. 4, processing proceeds to step S404, wherethe appropriate RVU bucket(s) are assessed RVUs based on usage. In thisembodiment, the system designer has chosen only to charge the customerbased upon uncompressed volumetric data flow (as tracked by sub-sub-mod370). That is, there is no charge for processing time or storage devicecapacity used in this particular example. Accordingly: (i) resourceusage sub-mod 360 of db server computer sub-system 104 informs usagesub-mod 304 of admin computer sub-system 102 about the amount of dataflow that has occurred at the customer's command back at step S403; and(ii) usage sub-mod 304 assesses the appropriate RVU bucket 304 a,b,c,dan appropriate number of RVUs corresponding to the volumetric data flowthat the client has caused to occur. In this example, there is a simpleproportional relationship between the quantity of data that flows andthe quantity of RVUs decremented from appropriate RVU bucket. In otherembodiments, there may be more complex relationships between the amountof usage (for example, amount of uncompressed volumetric data flow) andthe amount of decrementing of the appropriate RVU bucket(s). In someembodiments, a single usage may cause more than one different RVU bucketto decrement depending upon how the different RVU types are defined inthe commercial model used by the system designer.

In this example and as stated above, the RVU buckets respectivelycorrespond to the various solutions provided by the database servicesprovider. A given RVU bucket in the customer's account will bedecremented when usage under the corresponding solution occurs. Forexample, an archive extracting 20 gigabytes (GB) would decrement20,000,000,000 RVUs from the data growth RVU bucket 304 b (see FIG. 3A),thereby taking the DG RVU bucket 304 b from 100,000,000,000 RVUs down to80,000,000,000 RVUs. (In this example, each byte of uncompressedvolumetric data transfer is valued at 1 RVU.)

As will be explained below in more detail, once a given RVU bucket 304a, 304 b, 304 c or 304 d is depleted, the customer will arrange topurchase more RVUs for the depleted bucket. This may be done, forexample, through a sales representative of the database servicesprovider entity.

Returning attention to FIG. 4, at step S405 the customer makes some kindof incorrect usage of the resource(s) of the database service system. Inthis example, the customer sends the same data to be archived, by thedata growth (DG) solution of the database services system, twice inrelatively quick succession, due to a miscommunication between employeesat the business customer end. This incorrect data transfer amounts to 1GB of uncompressed data, transferred twice, for a total of 2 GB ofuncompressed volumetric data transfer.

Processing proceeds to step S406 where DG RVU bucket 304 b isdecremented based upon the incorrect usage of previous step S405. Inthis example, this means that 2,000,000,000 RVUs are decremented frombucket 304 b for the uncompressed data flow associated with this DGsolution operation that the business customer has performed twice (oncecorrectly, and once duplicatively and erroneously).

Processing proceeds to step S407 where: (i) the customer realizes thatan error was made at previous step S405; and (ii) uses the databaseservices system of the present invention to perform a correctionoperation, which will be discussed in some detail below. It should beunderstood that this correction operation does not require any humanservice personnel from the database services entity to become involved.Rather, the correction operation to be described is handledautomatically at the database service provider entity's end throughsoftware. This allows customers to make corrections quickly andreliably, and prevents stressful and time-inefficient communicationsthat otherwise might be needed in a system where corrections are made bydatabase service personnel, rather than automatically by software. Also,handling corrective adjustments automatically by software allows thecorrection policies to be made more uniform and without the possibilityof partiality that may come into play when human service representativesare required to get involved in the correction process.

More specifically, at step S407, the customer, using client admincomputer sub-system 112 (see FIG. 1), invokes correction sub-mod 312 ofdb services mod 240 of admin server computer sub-system 102 (see FIGS.1, 2A and 3A) in order to get back the RVUs erroneously expended anddecremented at steps S405 and S406. FIG. 5A shows screenshot 500 aincluding correction request window 502, which is an example of the typeof user interface that can be used by the business customer whenrequesting the software of the present invention to make a return oferroneously expended RVUs. In this example, the second, and redundant,archiving operation (of 1 GB of uncompressed data) is the erroneoustransaction, so the customer is requesting that all 1,000,000,000 RVUsassociated with this redundant transaction be returned. In this example,the customer is being asked a reason for the error. While thisinformation may not be required to be provided in all embodiments of thepresent invention, it can be helpful in determining: (i) whether thesoftware of the present invention will provide an automatic refund ofRVUs; and/or (ii) information for future auditors (human and/orartificial intelligence based) who may review this refund transaction ata later time.

Processing proceeds to step S408 where: (i) fact determining sub-sub-mod330 and policy sub-sub-mod 332 of correction sub-mod 312 of db servicemod 240 (see FIG. 3A) determine whether a refund will be made; (ii) RVUreturn sub-sub-mod 334 of correction sub-mod 312 of db service mod 240(see FIG. 3A) makes the automatic return of RVUs to the appropriate RVUbucket; and (iii) RVU return sub-sub-mod 334 notifies the customer thatthe return has been made. This is an example of the automatic,software-based correction of the present invention.

Fact determining sub-sub-mod 330 determines whether the customer'srequest for return is factually correct. For example: (i) is thetransaction number valid?; (ii) did the specified transaction reallyexpend the amount of RVUs that the customer believes it did; and/or(iii) other factual underpinnings of the refund request. If thecustomer's request is not factually correct, then the customer may begiven an opportunity to make correction(s). In some cases, it may bethat the refund request is simply mistaken, and the RVUs that thecustomer is concerned about were not really decremented from thecustomer account at all. Preferably, the software can effectively andautomatically communicate with the customer about these kinds ofcontingencies.

Policy sub-sub-mod 332 determines whether the policies of the databaseservice provider allow a refund under the circumstances of the request.For example, there may be a policy against honoring requests forreturned RVUs where the RVUs were expended more than a year before thecorrection request was made. Many other policies for automatic,software-based refunds could be implemented by system designers ofordinary skill Policy sub-sub-mod 332 further determines the amount ofthe returned RVUs. For example, a database services provider entity maycharge a 15% “restocking” fee to be discounted from the returned RVUs.In the present example of FIG. 3A and FIG. 4, the database servicesprovider has a policy of honoring all factually-grounded refund requestsin full, which means that, in this example, the business customer getsits entire 1,000,000,000 RVUs back corresponding to the uncompressedvolumetric second, redundant, erroneous archive operation. Even in thiscase, the transaction may be audited by a human auditor at some laterpoint in time, which audit potentially could lead to a further RVUincrement or further decrement at some point in the future.

Also at step S408, the customer is presented with screenshot 500 b ofFIG. 5B. Screenshot 500 b includes correction confirmation window 525,which is an example of the type of user interface that can be used tonotify a customer that the return of erroneously expended RVUs has beenaccomplished.

Processing proceeds to step S409 where: (i) usage of the types shown insteps S403, S404, S405, S406, S407 and S408 continues according to theebb and flow of the customers database activities; and (ii) thedepletion of RVU bucket(s) is handled in some manner by limit sub-mod310 (see FIG. 3A) as will now be explained in the following paragraphs.

There are various ways to handle the depletion of an RVU bucketaccording to the present invention. One way is to provide the businesscustomer with “cautions” that a given RVU bucket is at, or near,depletion. Eventually, the business customer will make additionalpayments and processing will loop back to step S401. The “cautions” maytake various forms, such as emails, pop-up windows, telephone calls andthe like. In the example of FIG. 3A, the giving of these cautions ishandled by caution sub-sub-mod 322 of limit sub-mod 310. In somepreferred embodiments of the present invention, these “cautions” are theonly form of limiting database services that take place. In thesepreferred embodiments, customers are effectively extended credit whenthey keep on performing database services operations (that is operationsthat are charged-for) after the associated RVU bucket(s) has beencompletely depleted. In these embodiments, the customer can be trustedto make a payment in due course and get its account “back in the black.”

As shown in FIG. 3A, limit sub-mod 310 further includes throttlesub-sub-mod 322, which can be used to slow down, or otherwise make lessuser friendly, the performance of database services if a customer's RVUbucket gets near, at or past full depletion at step S409. Thisthrottling can help incentivize a customer to make another pre-paymentto re-up so that processing proceeds back to step S401. Not allembodiments of the present invention would include any sort ofthrottling.

As shown in FIG. 3A, limit sub-mod 310 further includes suspensionsub-sub-mod 324, which can be used to suspend the performance ofdatabase services if a customer's RVU bucket gets to or past fulldepletion at step S409. This suspension can help incentivize a customerto make another pre-payment to re-up so that processing proceeds back tostep S401. Not all embodiments of the present invention would includeany sort of suspension.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the foregoing Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Some additional comments regarding the present invention will now bemade in the following paragraphs. These paragraphs relate to anembodiment of the present invention as applied to an IBM databaseservices program and/or package called “Optim” (note: the name Optim maybe subject to trademark and/or service mark rights in some jurisdictionsthroughout the world). Specific features described in the followingparagraphs should, of course, not be used to limit the scope of thepresent invention except to the extent that such a feature is requiredby explicit language of an issued claim. In the following example, theRVU that is used is a “token.”

Because processes or services are sometime run in error(misunderstanding or unintended results), the ability for the customerto return consumption back to the Optim tracking mechanism is provided.Each process that consumes capacity will return a token which can beused in a subsequent process to return unintended consumption. This isdescribed in more details in following sections of this document. Optimwill not track, report, or indicate any capacity type messaging until anOptim Capacity Token Record (CTR) has been created within the OptimDirectory. Optim will continue to function in the classic ProcessorValue Unit (PVU) model until a CTR have been detected during runtime.Once a CTR is created, Optim will then track consumption within the CTR.This method will support the migration from classic licensing (PVU) tocapacity licensing (RVU) over time. The RVU or consumption model goesinto effect the moment a CTR is applied. Repositories with no CTRs for agiven solution will continue to be based on the PVU model.

Applying a Capacity Token to the Optim Directory will now be discussed.A capacity token is unique and may be applied to one and only one OptimDirectory. Sites that use more than one directory will need to purchasecapacity for each directory in use. During the process of applying thecapacity token, Optim will create a new capacity token record (CTR) inthe Optim Directory. Existing CTRs in the Optim Directory are notcombined. Each capacity token has a single CTR managing the token duringits lifecycle. Two or more CTRs can exist at the same time for a singlesolution. It is the total of all solution-based CTRs that will yield thetotal site capacity for that particular solution. Adding a CTR is onlyone aspect of dealing with capacity and consumption. Other supportingfunctions like the ability to Update, Delete and Return capacity arealso supported.

Updating the Capacity within an Optim Directory will now be discussed.There may be the need to update an existing CTR within a given OptimDirectory to have less capacity. Outside of the normal Optim processesit is preferable to allow for the original token value to bedecremented. The UPDATE operation requires the caller to supply theoriginal capacity token used to generate the CTR, the Optim Directory towhich the token was applied and the amount in which the availablecapacity should be decremented. The value supplied for decrementing willbe in gigabytes.

Returning Capacity to an Optim Directory will now be discussed. Thereare times when a request is run inadvertently or with the wrongattributes. This run while producing a valid outcome (archive file,extract file, privatized data) is not the intended outcome. Nonethelessbecause the process is considered successful by Optim the consumption isnoted in the CTR. Under these circumstances the user should be able toreturn the consumption used by the erroneous process back to the CTR.Each process will produce a unique RETURN token. This token is returnedas part of the process report but is also persisted in CTR entriesrelated to the request. The encoding for the RETURN token will includethe capacity consumed by the operation. Therefore, when the RETURN tokenis used to return consumed capacity back to the CTR only the tokenitself need be supplied. The user must supply the RETURN tokenassociated with the erroneous request execution. The user must alsosupply the Optim Directory in which the CTR holding the capacityresides. Having the ability to return capacity opens a door to productmisuse. Therefore the process of returning consumption is audited andmonitored via a report.

Deleting Capacity Token Records from an Optim Directory will now bediscussed. The purpose of the DELETE function is to remove CTRs with nocapacity once it has been determined there is no need to include forreporting purposes. While the DELETE action implies the record is beingremoved from the CAPACITY table, it is in fact being updated alteringthe record type associated with the record CTR from a CTR type of ‘01’to ‘999’. (See CTR row types described below.) The renumbering of themain CTR entry leaves a tracking mechanism in the directory for historybut allows the report facility to focus on the most current state (ifthat is desired). The process of renumbering the main CTR is only partof the DELETE process. All sub-ordinate record types with the sameCAPACITY token will physically be deleted from the CAPACITY table.

Capacity Management via Batch will now be discussed. If the user wishesto apply the capacity token via command line, the syntax below describeswhat is needed. Any call from a user interface will invoke this APIbehind the scenes:

   < executable name> /CAPacity /FUNCtion= { ADD | DELETE | RETURN | {UPDATE SIZE=### } }    TOKEN= { token | % }    DIRectory=repository name

A examples for command-line usage will be set forth in the followingparagraphs along with some exemplary command line language.

Apply a capacity token for 100 GB of Data Growth to the OPTIM_PRODrepository. Command line language for this:

<executable name>/CAP/FUNC=ADD TOKEN=0F0E0D0C DIR=OPTIM_PROD

Return 10 GB of capacity for Data Growth to the OPTIM_PROD repository.Command line language for this:

   <executable name> /CAP /FUNC=RETURN TOKEN=0F0E0D1C DIR=OPTIM_PROD

Decrement the Data Growth capacity token OPTIM_PROD directory by 20 GBdue to outside circumstances. Command line language for this:

   <executable name> /CAP /FUNC=UPDATE TOKEN=0F0E0D0C SIZE=20DIR=OPTIM_PROD

An archive request performed for application retirement purposescompleted successfully. However since the user did not turn on theApplication Retirement option in the Archive request editor, theconsumption was mistakenly subtracted from the Data Growth capacitytoken. To avoid RETURNing the capacity for Data Growth and rerunning therequest with the Application Retirement option on, the use can simplyuse the UPDATE command below to perform both operations. (The usershould still fix the editor for any subsequent runs). The operationbelow will move the CTR records related to the request associated withthe return token to the application retirement CTR set (the return tokenis adjusted for the solution type). It will add consumption back to theData Growth capacity CTR. Lastly the Application Retirement capacity CTRwill be decremented accordingly. Command line language for theforegoing:

   <executable name> /CAP /FUNC=UPDATE TOKEN=0F0E0D0CRETURN_TOKEN=0F0E0D1C DIR=OPTIM_PROD

Remove a single depleted capacity token in the OPTIM_PROD repository,thus removing it from the produced consumption report. Command linelanguage for this:

   <executable name> /CAP /FUNC=DELETE TOKEN=0F0E0D0C DIR=OPTIM_PROD

Remove all depleted capacity tokens in the OPTIM_PROD repository, thusremoving them from the produced consumption report. Command linelanguage for this:

<executable name>/CAP/FUNC=DELETE TOKEN=ALL DIR=OPTIM_PROD

Consumption Tracking in Optim will now be discussed. Optim tracksconsumption for those requests completing successfully. Upon successfulcompletion the CTR will be appropriately decremented. The condition forsuccess and approach to measuring consumption is described below foreach consumption category. A standard informational message will appearin all Optim process reports indicating the following: (i) Capacityconsumed for the execution; (ii) Capacity remaining (total of all CTRsof a given type)’ and (iii) Return Token(s) for each capacity typeconsumed during the operation. A message similar to the one below shouldappear for each CTR type involved in the process (Data Growth, TDM, DataPrivacy, etc.): “This request has consumed nn,nnn,nnn (M or G). There isNNN,NNN,NNN (M or G) remaining. Return Token: 010d0303.” At no pointwill Optim stop operating should the consumption cause a CTR to gonegative (for example, the site has consumed more than it licensed).Optim will continue to operate. If the remaining value is negative,Optim will produce the following warning message: “Please contact IBMXXXX at xxxxx to acquire an additional capacity token to increase yourentitlement to use Optim for <capacity type>.”

Data Growth Tracking and Application Retirement will now be discussed.Capacity for data growth and application retirement is measured ingigabytes of uncompressed data pulled out of the data source and isdecremented after the successful execution of an Archive requestresulting in a valid Archive file. The request must be free of errorshowever warnings and informational messages can be generated during theprocess. If the Delete portion of the Archive request fails, capacity isstill decremented as the resulting Archive file is valid and consumptionwould have been measured during the archive process. After the archiveprocess completes successfully a new CTR specific for the solution (datagrowth, application retirement) and archive request is created and addedto the CAPACITY directory table. The record indicates the size of theuncompressed archive file in the USED CAPACITY column of the record. Atthe time the request CTR is added the capacity token CTR's availableconsumption is decremented from the solution capacity token (datagrowth, application retirement) to reflect the overall usage. Whilethere are separate tokens for data growth and application retirement,the method of tracking is identical. Therefore the examples belowspecifically identify requests run for the purposes of solving datagrowth issues.

In this example, a pre-operation CTR has an applied capacity token for100 GB of data growth. In this scenario the customers runs an Archiverequest which generates an archive file containing 20 GB of uncompresseddata (file, may of course, be compressed after the consumption ismeasured.) This operation results in a request level CTR for the Archiveindicating 20 GB of used capacity. As a result of this operation, thecapacity token CTR's available capacity is decremented by 20 GB leavinga remainder of 80 GB.

If a single operation must use capacity from multiple CTRs then anArchive request CTR will be recorded for each token from which capacitywas consumed. In some cases, an archive file will need to use capacityfrom multiple tokens. For example, a 150 GB archive file might use 100GB of capacity from a previously purchased token, in addition to 50 GBfrom a token that has not yet been purchased. Until the new token ispurchased the “available capacity” for the used-up, old token will showas −50 GB.

Test Data Management (TDM) Tracking will now be discussed. Capacity forTDM is measured in gigabytes of uncompressed data extracted from thedata sources as a result of an Extract operation and is decrementedafter the successful execution of an Extract request resulting in avalid Extract file. The request must be free of errors; however,warnings and informational messages can be generated during the process.Tracking TDM consumption requires, in this example, Optim to maintainthe following information: (i) Consumption/charge per Extract Request;(ii) Table usage per extract; (iii) HWM consumption per Table. TDMtracking is a bit more complex than that of Data Growth. For TDM,frequent creation or refreshing of data subsets is promoted, so it ispreferably ensured that it is not cost prohibitive to do so. Thereforethe initial capacity token purchased should reflect the amount of datathe user intends to extract from the database overtime to meet testingrequirements. Optim will record a HWM for each table from which data wasextracted. Only when a subsequent extract requires additional amounts ofdata that exceed a previously established HWM will additionalconsumption be charged and a new table HWM recorded.

After an extract process completes successfully a request CTR for anextract request is created and added to the CAPACITY directory table.The record indicates the size of the uncompressed user data comprisingthe extract file. In addition to the request CTR, a sub-request CTR foreach table participating in the extract will be recorded with thecapacity consumed for the table. In addition a set of non-requestspecific table CTRs will be added to track the HWM for a given table.Only one table CTR is necessary per capacity token, therefore theentries are first searched for an existing table CTR. If an existingtable CTR is found it is updated with the new high-water mark only ifthe current size exceeds the previous recorded value and only the deltasize will be deducted when compensating for consumption. The site willonly be charged when they exceed a previously established high watermark.

Consuming Capacity, in the context of TDM, will now be discussed. Afterthe extract process completes successfully a new request CTR specificfor an extract request is created and added to the CAPACITY directorytable. The record indicates the size of extracted data in theUSED_CAPACITY field of the record. After the request CTR is added, asub-request table CTR is added for each table that participated in theExtract that accounted for data consumption (if no rows were extractedfrom a specific table a sub-request CTR should not be recorded). Thesub-request table CTR will call out the USED_CAPACITY for a specifictable. The purpose of recording sub-request table CTRs is to handle theRETURN of capacity related to a specific extract request which isdiscussed in the Returning Capacity paragraph(s) below. For eachsub-request table CTR, a look-up is done for the table CTR at thecapacity token level. If a table CTR is found, its current HWM iscompared to that of the current usage defined in the sub-request tableCTR. If the sub-request table CTR's used capacity is greater than thetable CTR HWM, the HWM is replaced with new value. The delta between thenew HWM and previous HWM is then used to calculate the value subtractedfrom the overall available capacity. At any given time the sum of alltables CTR HWM values must equate to overall used capacity.

Returning Capacity, in the context of TDM, will now be discussed withreference to the screenshots respectively shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C.If an extract was run in error or unintentionally, then the RETURN APIcan be invoked to return capacity. In addition to the recordings in theCTR records, an audit record indicating the RETURN operation wasrequested is generated. When returning capacity associated with anExtract request, the request CTR 300 (See FIGS. 6A to 6C) to which theRETURN request is made to update the record by adding the size to theAvailable capacity column and updating the Modified Date column. Allsub-request table CTRs 302 (see FIGS. 6A to 6C) associated with therequest CTR are removed. The next step in the RETURN process is torecompute the HWM values associated with all table CTRs 301 (see FIGS.6A to 6C) for which a sub-request table CTRs 302 were removed. After alltable CTRs are adjusted, the capacity token CTR 300 is adjusted toincrement the “Avail Capacity” (if necessary). FIGS. 6A to 6C show a fewexamples of RETURN scenarios. More specifically, pre operation CTRs reshown in FIG. 6A.

In an Operation #1, a RETURN for EXTRACT3, which consumed 15 GB, isperformed resulting in the set of CTRs shown in the screenshot of FIG.6B. In this scenario, the request CTR 300 for Extract3 was updated toindicate 15 GB in the Avail capacity column (indicator of returnedcapacity). The modify user and date are also updated to reflect the userreturning capacity. The request table CTRs 302 related to Extract3 areremoved. The table CTRs 301 for the tables involved in EXTRACT3(customers and orders) are adjusted to have the new HWM values. Byscanning all remaining request table CTRs 302, the new HWM value forcustomers is 1 GB and the new HWM value for orders is 2 GB. The finalstep is to adjust the capacity token CTR 100 available capacity value toreflect the new set of table HWM values. In this case, a totalconsumption of 3 GB is indicated by combining all table CTR HWM values,therefore the AVAIL CAPACITY incremented to 197 GB. A gain of 12 GB isrecognized by returning EXTRACT3's consumption.

An exemplary token return “Operation #2,” shown in the screenshot ofFIG. 6C, will now be discussed. A RETURN for EXTRACT2 which consumed 2.5GB is performed resulting in the following set of CTRs. In thisscenario, the request CTR (300) for EXTRACT2 was updated to indicate 2.5GB in the Avail capacity column (indicator of returned capacity). Themodify user and date are also updated to reflect the user returningcapacity. The request table CTRs 302 related to EXTRACT2 are removed.The table CTRs 301 for the tables involved in EXTRACT2 (customers andorders) are adjusted to have the new HWM values. By scanning allremaining request table CTRs 302, the new HWM value for customers is 0.5GB and the HWM value for orders remains unchanged (2 GB). The final stepis to adjust the capacity token CTR (100) available capacity value toreflect the new set of table HWM values. In this case a totalconsumption of 2.5 GB is indicated by combining all table CTR HWMvalues, therefore the AVAIL CAPACITY is incremented to 197.5 GB. A gainof 0.5 GB is recognized by returning EXTRACT2's consumption. It ispossible that returning capacity may result in no gain if HWM values arenot decremented. In this case the return operation should return amessage to the user.

Data Masking tracking, like TDM, is a bit more complex than that of DataGrowth or Application Retirement. Since Data Masking is usually (but isnot required to be) performed as part of TDM this process will promotefrequent refreshing of data subsets so there is a need to ensure it isnot cost prohibitive to do so. Therefore, the initial capacity tokenpurchased from the data services providing entity (for example, IBM)should reflect the amount of data the user intends to mask overtime tomeet privacy requirements. Optim will record a HWM for each table forwhich data is masked. Only when a subsequent request requires additionalamounts of data masking that exceeds a previously established HWM willadditional consumption be charged and a new table HWM recorded.

Data Masking tracking like TDM is a bit more complex than that of DataGrowth or Application Retirement. Since Data Masking is usually (but notrequired) performed as part of TDM this process will promote frequentrefreshing of data subsets so we must ensure it is not cost prohibitiveto do so. Therefore, the initial capacity token purchased from the dataservices providing entity (for example, IBM) should reflect the amountof data the user intends to mask overtime to meet privacy requirements.Optim will record a HWM for each table for which data is masked. Onlywhen a subsequent request requires additional amounts of data maskingthat exceeds a previously established HWM will additional consumption becharged and a new table HWM recorded.

After a process completes successfully a request CTR for the insert,load or convert (includes Extract with convert option) is created andadded to the CAPACITY directory table. The record indicates the size ofthe user data masked and pushed to the data source (DB, file). Inaddition to the request CTR, a sub-request CTR for each tableparticipating in the masking operations will be recorded with thecapacity consumed for the table. In addition a set of non-requestspecific table CTRs will be added to track the HWM for a given table.Only one table CTR is necessary per capacity token, therefore theentries are first searched for an existing table CTR. If an existingtable CTR is found it is updated with the new high-water mark only ifthe current size exceeds the previous recorded value and only the deltasize will be deducted when compensating for consumption. The site willonly be charged when they exceed a previously established high watermark. Data Masking (like Data Growth, Application Retirement and TDM)will support the notion of a RETURN token allowing capacity to bereturned for those operations run in error.

Consuming Capacity, in the context of Data Masking, will now bediscussed. After the request completes successfully a new request CTRspecific for the request is created and added to the CAPACITY directorytable. The record indicates the size of data in the tables participatingin the masking operation in the USED_CAPACITY column of the record.After the request CTR is added, a sub-request table CTR is added foreach table that participated in the operation accounted for data maskingconsumption (if no elements were masked from a specific table asub-request CTR should not be recorded). The sub-request table CTR willcall out the USED_CAPACITY for a specific table. The purpose ofrecording sub-request table CTRs is to handle the RETURN of capacityrelated to a specific request.

For each sub-request table CTR, a look-up is done for the table CTR atthe capacity token level. If a table CTR is found, its current HWM iscompared to that of the current usage defined in the sub-request tableCTR. If the sub-request table CTR's used capacity is greater than thetable CTR HWM, the HWM is replaced with new value. The delta between thenew HWM and previous HWM is then used to calculate the value subtractedfrom the overall available capacity. At any given time the sum of alltables CTR HWM values must equate to overall used capacity. If a singleoperation must use capacity from multiple CTRs then a Data Maskingrequest CTR will be recorded for each token from which capacity wasconsumed. The pattern for recording is the same as that described in theData Growth and Test Data Management tracking sections of this document.

Returning Capacity, in the context of Data Masking, will now bediscussed. If a request is run in error (or unintentionally) the RETURNAPI can be invoked to return capacity. In addition to the recordings inthe CTR records, an audit record indicating the RETURN operation wasrequested is generated. When returning capacity associated with anInsert, Load or Convert request, the request CTR to which the RETURN ismade is found by searching the directory for the matching return token.Once located the request CTR record is updated by adding the originalconsumed value to the Available capacity column of the record andupdating the Modified Date column. All sub-request table CTRs associatedwith the request CTR are removed. The next step in the RETURN process isto re-compute the HWM values associated with all table CTRs for which asub-request table CTRs was respectively removed. After all table CTRsare adjusted, the capacity token CTR is adjusted to increment the AvailCapacity (if necessary).

A Capacity Usage Summary Report will now be discussed. To support IBMand client auditing requirements Optim will support an “audit” reportfor capacity consumption. To support reporting requirements Optim willcapture capacity tracking data regardless if the site has enabledauditing. The customer will have the option to generate reports relatedto capacity consumption. This document will focus on the Capacityconsumption reports. Two forms of OOB reporting are supplied: summaryand detailed. The content of each is described below.

The Capacity Usage Summary Report will now be discussed. A summaryreport will preferably contain the following information per OptimDirectory operating under the RVU model: (i) Total of purchased capacityfor all solutions; (ii) Total of remaining capacity for all solutions;and (iii) List of capacity token applied to the directory each callingout: (a) Purchased capacity, (b) Remaining capacity, (c) Token type(Data growth, Application Retirement, TDM, Data Masking), (d) Date tokenwas applied, and (e) Return Capacity.

The Capacity Usage Detailed Report will now be discussed. A detailedreport will contain the following information per Optim Directoryoperating under the RVU model: (i)Total of purchased capacity for allsolutions; (ii) Total of remaining capacity for all solutions; (iii)List of capacity token applied to the directory each calling out: (a)Purchased capacity; (b) Remaining capacity, and (c) Token type (Datagrowth, Application Retirement, TDM, Data Masking), (d) Date token wasapplied, (e) Returned consumption; (iv) Capacity usage details (pertoken); and (v) Capacity solution details (per token). Detailed usageinformation is available for Data Masking and Test Data Management(table usage).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for improving the way computer(s)operate in a context of managing computerized data services provided bya data services providing entity to a data services customer, the methodcomprising: establishing a pre-paid account for computerized dataservices to be provided by the data services providing entity to thedata services customer, with a pre-payment being represented by relativevalue units (RVUs) and the pre-paid account including at least twobuckets for assigning RVUs; crediting a quantity of RVUs to the bucketsof the pre-paid account in response to a set of purchase(s) of RVUs bythe data services customer; responsive to use of the computerized dataservices by the data services customer, decrementing at least onedecremented RVU from at least one bucket of the pre-paid account so thata quantity of remaining RVUs in the at least one bucket of the pre-paidaccount falls below a threshold value; responsive to the remaining RVUsfalling below the threshold value, throttling down the computerized dataservices provided to the data services with respect to at leastfollowing: types of computerized data services available and/or speed ofcomputerized data services available; subsequent to the throttling backof the computerized data services, receiving a request, from the dataservices customer, for a refund of a current value of the at least onedecremented RVU; determining both a factual accuracy status of therefund request and a policy acceptability status of automaticallyhonoring the refund request; responsive to a determination that factualaccuracy status and policy acceptability status are both appropriate formaking a refund, refunding the current value of the at least onedecremented RVU so that a quantity of remaining RVUs in the at least onebucket of the pre-paid account increases to or above the thresholdvalue; responsive to refunding the current value of the at least onedecremented RVU, displaying a graphical user interface on at least onedisplay device, where the graphical user interface includes informationindicative of at least one of: a refund request, a refunded currentvalue of at least one decremented RVU, or a transaction number; andresponsive to the remaining RVUs increasing to or above the thresholdvalue, throttling up the computerized data services provided to the dataservices customer so that the types of computerized data servicesavailable and the speed of computerized data services available returnto a status that they had before the throttling down of the computerizeddata services; wherein: at least the receiving, determining, andrefunding steps are performed automatically under the control ofsoftware running on a processor set of a computer and substantiallywithout human intervention; an RVU represents a unit of pre-payment forcomputerized data services which may, or may not, directly correspond toa commonly traded currency; the at least one decremented RVU isdecremented in exchange for at least one of the following types ofdatabase usage: a volume of uncompressed client data flowing through adatabase service provider's machines, processing time of databaseservices hardware, and/or data storage space; the determining both thefactual accuracy status and the policy acceptability status includesdetermining validity of a transaction number and that the at least onedecremented RVU indicated in the request from the data services customermatches a deduction of RVUs from the pre-paid account; each bucket isassigned to a different type of computerized data service; and RVUs arecredited and decremented from each bucket based, at least in part, onwhich computerized data services the customer uses.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein refunding the current value of the at least onedecremented RVU comprises: tracking, for each data table having a highwater mark (HWM) for table use of a particular type and corresponding tothe use made of the computerized data services to which the refundrequest pertains, information about the HWM immediately following theuse made of the computerized data services (HWM 1) as compared to theHWM immediately prior to the use made of the computerized data services(HWM 0); summing, over the data tables corresponding to the use made ofthe computerized data services to which the refund request pertains andfor those data tables for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0, thedifferences between HWM 1 and HWM 0; and restoring, for each data tablecorresponding to the use made of the computerized data services to whichthe refund request pertains and for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0,HWM 0 as the HWM of the data table.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein thetable use type is data masking or test data management.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein: the throttling down of computerized data servicesprovided to the data services customer decreases the speed ofcomputerized data services available; and the throttling down ofcomputerized data services provided to the data services customerdecreases the speed of computerized data services available.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the prepaid account includes at least onebucket for assigning RVUs based, at least in part, on at least one of:(i) test data management; (ii) data growth; (iii) applicationretirement; (iv) data privacy; (v) types of usable resources; (vi)countries; (vii) regions; (viii) time zones; (ix) associated prioritiesor service levels agreement levels; (x) RVU expiration dates; (xi) costcenters in the data services customer's business; and (xii) fordatabases with different sources.
 6. A system for improving the waycomputer(s) operate in a context of managing data services provided by adata services providing entity to a data services customer, the systemcomprising a customer account management computer sub-system comprising:a processor set; and a software storage device; wherein: the processorset is structured, programmed and/or connected to run software stored inthe software storage device; the software storage device has storedthereon a data services module; the data services module is programmedto: establish a pre-paid account for computerized data services to beprovided by the data services providing entity to the data servicescustomer, with a pre-payment being represented by relative value units(RVUs) and the pre-paid account including at least two buckets forassigning RVUs, credit a quantity of RVUs to the buckets of the pre-paidaccount in response to a set of purchase(s) of RVUs by the data servicescustomer, responsive to use of the computerized data services by thedata services customer, decrementing at least one decremented RVU fromat least one bucket of the pre-paid account so that a quantity ofremaining RVUs in the at least one bucket of the pre-paid account fallsbelow a threshold value responsive to use made of the computerized dataservices, responsive to the remaining RVUs falling below the thresholdvalue, throttle down the computerized data services provided to the dataservices with respect to at least following: types of computerized dataservices available and/or speed of computerized data services available,subsequent to the throttling back of the computerized data services,receive a request, from the data services customer, for a refund of acurrent value of the at least one decremented RVU, determine both afactual accuracy status of the refund request, and a policyacceptability status of automatically honoring the refund request,responsive to a determination that the refund request is appropriatebased, at least in part, on the determination of factual accuracy statusand policy acceptability status are both appropriate for making arefund, refund the current value of the at least one decremented RVU sothat a quantity of remaining RVUs in the at least one bucket of thepre-paid account increases to or above the threshold value, responsiveto refunding the current value of the at least one decremented RVU,display a graphical user interface on at least one display device, wherethe graphical user interface includes information indicative of at leastone of: a refund request, a refunded current value of at least onedecremented RVU, or a transaction number, and responsive to theremaining RVUs increasing to or above the threshold value, throttle upthe computerized data services provided to the data services customer sothat the types of computerized data services available and the speed ofcomputerized data services available return to a status that they hadbefore the throttling down of the computerized data services; an RVUrepresents a unit of pre-payment for computerized data services whichmay, or may not, directly correspond to a commonly traded currency; theat least one decremented RVU is decremented in exchange for at least oneof the following types of database usage: a volume of uncompressedclient data flowing through a database service provider's machines,processing time of database services hardware, and/or data storagespace; the determining both the factual accuracy status and the policyacceptability status includes determining validity of a transactionnumber and that the at least one decremented RVU indicated in therequest from the data services customer matches a deduction of RVUs fromthe pre-paid account; each bucket is assigned a different type ofcomputerized data service; and RVUs are credited and decremented fromeach bucket based, at least in part, on which computerized data servicesthe data services customer uses.
 7. The system of claim 6 whereinrefunding the current value of the at least one decremented RVUcomprises: tracking, for each data table having a high water mark (HWM)for table use of a particular type and corresponding to the use made ofthe computerized data services to which the refund request pertains,information about the HWM immediately following the use made of thecomputerized data services (HWM 1) as compared to the HWM immediatelyprior to the use made of the computerized data services (HWM 0);summing, over the data tables corresponding to the use made of thecomputerized data services to which the refund request pertains and forthose data tables for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0, the differencesbetween HWM 1 and HWM 0; and restoring, for each data tablecorresponding to the use made of the computerized data services to whichthe refund request pertains and for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0,HWM 0 as the HWM of the data table.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein thetable use type is data masking or test data management.
 9. The productof claim 6 wherein the prepaid account includes at least one bucket forassigning RVUs based, at least in part, on at least one of: (i) testdata management; (ii) data growth; (iii) application retirement; (iv)data privacy; (v) types of usable resources; (vi) countries; (vii)regions; (viii) time zones; (ix) associated priorities or service levelsagreement levels; (x) RVU expiration dates; (xi) cost centers in thedata services customer's business; and (xii) for databases withdifferent sources.
 10. A computer program product for improving the waycomputer(s) operate in a context of managing computerized data servicesprovided by a data services providing entity to a data servicescustomer, the computer program product comprising: one or morenon-transitory computer-readable storage media and program instructionsstored on the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia, the program instructions comprising: an establishing instructionset programmed to establish a pre-paid account for computerized dataservices to be provided by the data services providing entity to thedata services customer, with a pre-payment being represented by relativevalue units (RVUs) and the pre-paid account including at least twobuckets for assigning RVUs; a plurality of instruction sets respectivelyprogrammed to: credit a quantity of RVUs to the buckets of the pre-paidaccount in response to a set of purchase(s) of RVUs by the data servicescustomer, responsive to use of the computerized data services by thedata services customer, decrementing at least one decremented RVU fromat least one bucket of the pre-paid account so that a quantity ofremaining RVUs in the at least one bucket of the pre-paid account fallsbelow a threshold value responsive to use made of the computerized dataservices, responsive to the remaining RVUs falling below the thresholdvalue, throttle down the computerized data services provided to the dataservices with respect to at least following: types of computerized dataservices available and/or speed of computerized data services available,subsequent to the throttling back of the computerized data services,receive a request, from the data services customer, for a refund of acurrent value of the at least one decremented RVU, determine both afactual accuracy status of the refund request, and a policyacceptability status of automatically honoring the refund request,responsive to a determination that the refund request is appropriatebased, at least in part, on the determination of factual accuracy statusand policy acceptability status are both appropriate for making arefund, refund the current value of the at least one decremented RVU sothat a quantity of remaining RVUs in the at least one bucket of thepre-paid account increases to or above the threshold value, responsiveto refunding the current value of the at least one decremented RVU,display a graphical user interface on at least one display device, wherethe graphical user interface includes information indicative of at leastone of: a refund request, a refunded current value of at least onedecremented RVU, or a transaction number, and responsive to theremaining RVUs increasing to or above the threshold value, throttle upthe computerized data services provided to the data services customer sothat the types of computerized data services available and the speed ofcomputerized data services available return to a status that they hadbefore the throttling down of the computerized data services; wherein:an RVU represents a unit of pre-payment for computerized data serviceswhich may, or may not, directly correspond to a commonly tradedcurrency; the at least one decremented RVU is decremented in exchangefor at least one of the following types of database usage: a volume ofuncompressed client data flowing through a database service provider'smachines, processing time of database services hardware, and/or datastorage space; and the determining both the factual accuracy status andthe policy acceptability status includes determining validity of atransaction number and that the at least one decremented RVU indicatedin the request from the data services customer matches a deduction ofRVUs from the pre-paid account; each bucket is assigned a different typeof computerized data service; and RVUs are credited and decremented fromeach bucket based, at least in part, on which computerized data servicesthe data services customer uses.
 11. The product of claim 10 whereinrefunding the current value of the at least one decremented RVUcomprises: tracking, for each data table having a high water mark (HWM)for table use of a particular type and corresponding to the use made ofthe computerized data services to which the refund request pertains,information about the HWM immediately following the use made of thecomputerized data services (HWM 1) as compared to the HWM immediatelyprior to the use made of the computerized data services (HWM 0);summing, over the data tables corresponding to the use made of thecomputerized data services to which the refund request pertains and forthose data tables for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0, the differencesbetween HWM 1 and HWM 0; and restoring, for each data tablecorresponding to the use made of the computerized data services to whichthe refund request pertains and for which HWM 1 is greater than HWM 0,HWM 0 as the HWM of the data table.
 12. The product of claim 11 whereinthe table use type is data masking or test data management.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10 wherein the prepaid account includes at least onebucket for assigning RVUs based, at least in part, on at least one of:(i) test data management; (ii) data growth; (iii) applicationretirement; (iv) data privacy; (v) types of usable resources; (vi)countries; (vii) regions; (viii) time zones; (ix) associated prioritiesor service levels agreement levels; (x) RVU expiration dates; (xi) costcenters in the data services customer's business; and (xii) fordatabases with different sources.